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chicago Laura Stoklosa

I would first like to say that my second trip to Chicago was way better than my first! When i went in the fall i kind of felt intimidated by all the work i say. I think after having a full semester of art classes i was really able to appreciate the experience more. I found myself looking at pieces of work and actually seeing within it some of the concepts and elements i learned about in my classes. I feel like i actually "looked" at art this time...

When i walked into the exhibit by Rudolf Stingel in the Museum of Contemporary art my first reaction was WOW!! The bright orange carpet was spectacular. The room was alive, very vibrant even though it had nothing in it. The color also shifted on the walls and ceiling giving it a multi-colored effect even though it was just the reflection of the carpet. I think the piece worked well with space, color and light. The massive size really made an impact. Carpet was a very interesting medium, one that connected me to everyday life. I found myself imagining the bright orange carpet in my house and the way it would reflect on my walls. I think he also expertly used the medium when he encouraged people to write on a piece of beige carpet hung on the gallary wall. The piece then became more about what people wrote and drew then the medium. I personally couldnt resist reaching out and touching it myself.

Stingel did a very good job with texture in this exhibit. The carpet is just one example of his "hands on wanna touch it" theme. The carvings in the pink foam were filling with so much information you had to get up close to see the tiny ridges that made the texture so unique. If you were allowed to tocuh it im willing to bet you would. Even the slight texture in the prints that i believe were made with enamel and fabric drew the viewers eye. Its almost like he was revealing the material of the work. It was very easy to stand back and look at his work as a whole but walking up close to it you saw that there was much more to it than what it looked like, it was about what it felt like too.

My absolute favorite piece (or pieces) of Stingel's work was the self portraits. I walked into that section and immediately can to the conclusion they were photographs. The focus was amazing and the detail was lifelike. When i read that it was paint i was thoughly amazed. Up close you can see every deliberate brushmark that he made. He was so careful and precise his work had the illusion of a photograph. It really made me think about if he did this on purpose. Standing there looking at this massive painting i felt intimidated again but it was a better feeling than last time. I could walk up close to this painting and see that they were brushstrokes like i make just done more precisely and in a technique that made the painting look photographic from a distance. Its hard to explain but in a way it was motivational as well as intimidating.

I feel as though Stingel gave his viewers a real inside look into the process and medium of all his work. It was so influential to the success of the pieces. What made his work stand out to me was the way you felt the need to feel it as well as look at it. It also fascinated me that his work from far way was drasically different from when you were standing up close. It was almost as if each piece was two pieces of art in one. If i would have seen his exhibition in a magazine i don't think i would have been so impressed. It was the impact of the carpet and the painting technique that caught my eye.
Laura Stoklosa

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